And switch



(No Model.)

D. GRUHLKEY. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY FROG AND SWITCH.

Patented Main 12, 1895.

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f is a slot in rod F. By means of the rod F,

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DANIEL GRUHLKEY, OF MARSEILLES, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TORICHARD F. KNOTT, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY FROG AND SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 535,371, dated March12, 1895.

Application filed July '7, 1893.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL GRUHLKEY, a resident of Marseilles, in thecounty of La Salle, State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements inAutomatic Railroad Frogs and Switches, of whichthe following, when takeniu connection with the drawings forming a parthereof, is a fulland complete specification, sufficient to enable thoseskilled in the art to understand, make, and use the same.

The object of my invention is to obtain a railroad frog which is adaptedto form when set, in conjunction with the rails adjacent thereto, acontinuous way for the wheels of the engine, cars or trucks runningalong the track, to pass thereover.

In the drawings referred to, Figure 1 is a plan View of an automaticrailroad frog and switch embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is an endelevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, viewed in the direction indicated bythe arrow; Fig. 3, an end elevation on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, also viewedin the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a frogembodying a portion of my invention; Fig. 5, an elevation thereof, andFig. 6, an end View thereof.

The same letter of reference is employed to designate a part where morethan'one View thereof is given in the several figures of the drawings.

A, A, are the ties or sleepers of the tracks; B, B, the rails of themain track; 0, C, the rails of the switch track.

D, D are the rails forming the movable points of the switch.

E, is a rod rotatively mounted in the bearings e, e, c.

F, is a rod extending from crank-arm f on red E to the switch-lever G ofswitch-stand g.

crankarm f and slot f movement of the switch-lever G produces a partialturning or rotation of the rod E.

H, H are crank-arms at the respective ends of rod E, and I, I are camsor eccentrics, rigidly secured on such rod.

X is the frog embodying that portion of my invention and consists offoundation plate J, rigidly secured to ties A, A, movable plate K SerialNo. 479.781. (llo model.)

composed of angle irons 7c, 7t, rail L to which are secured irons in,is, by bolts Z, Z, plate M having holes m, m, therein and bolts Nextending through holes m.

n, is a hub extending downward from the under side of the plate J,fitting into a corresponding hole in the plate M and tending to maintainthe plate M in suitable position, as the same'is turned by the turningof the plate K.

v Q Q are rods secured to plate K, and extending therefrom to the camsor eccentrics 1 1 on rod E. a P P are rails fulcrumed at end thereof,respectively, to a tie or sleeper A.

Q is a rod extending from rail P to rail P and Q is a rod extending fromrail P to crank-arm H. By meansof the rods Q Q, rails P P are connectedor tied to the crankarm H in such a manner that rotation of the rod E(and consequent rotation of crank-arm H) produces movement in rails P P.Assuming such rails P P to be in the position illustrated by full linesin Fig. l of the drawings, rotation of the rod E will draw (by means ofthe rod R connecting crank-arm H withrails D D,) rails D D into positionso that rail D will be free from contact with the switch rail 0, whilerail D is in contact with rail B in the main track, that is to say, suchrotation of rod E will move the points of rails D D so as to open theswitch for a train to enter thereon from the main track. At the sametime the turning of the eccentrics I I will actuate the rods 0 O andthereby move the frog rail L from the position thereof illustrated bythe full lines in Fig. 1 to the position thereof indicated by the dottedlines in said figure.

WVhen switch-lever G is in the position in which the same is illustratedin Fig-. 1, the several parts are in the position illustrated by fulllines and the main track is open for the passage of trains; switch railD being free from rail 13 and switch rail D being in contact with switchrail (1. Frog X will then be in position, and there maintained by rods 0and 0, so that rail L of the frog will form a part of the main track;and hence there will be no jar or strain to the trucks of engine ICO orcars crossing over the frog. At the same time the rails P P will bemaintained in the position illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 1.

If, when the respective parts of the frog and switch are in the positionillustrated in Fig. 1 an engine or car on the switch rails O G be movedtoward the main track, (that is in the direction indicated by the arrowlettered S in Fig. 1,) the rail P will be thrown, by the flange of thewheel coming between such rail P and rail 0, from, substantially, theposition in which such rail is illustrated by full lines into about theposition thereof indicated by dotted lines, thereby drawing the rod Q,rail P and rod Q into the position thereof, indicated by the dottedlines in said Fig. 1, and thereby turn rod E (by means of crank-arm Hand connecting rod Q) partially round, and into substantially theposition thereof indicated by dotted lines lettered E in Fig. 3. Theturning of such rod E will,'by means of the rod R, move rail D from railG and rail D into contact with rail B adjacent thereto. Such partialrotation of rod E will also move the eccentrics I I and by means of therods 0 O actuate frog X; that is, move rail L from the position in whichthe same is illustrated in Fig. 1, by the full lines, into substantiallythe position thereof indicated by the dotted lines, lettered L in saidfigure. The switch rails D, D, and the frog Xare thus automaticallythrown into position, so

' that such engine or car may pass over the switch rails O, O, on to themain track. The switch rails D, D and the frog X and rails 13, B may beturned into the last described position by the turning of the switchlever G as hereinbefore described; and ordinarily, when it is desiredthat the several parts of the device be brought into such a position, itis to be understood that they are so brought by the switch lever G.

When the several parts of my automatic frog and switch are in positionso that rail D is against rail B (as indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 1), and a train or a car passes over the main track in thedirection indicated by the arrow lettered S, the flange of the wheelspassing between rail B and such .rail

P, will turn such rail from the position thereof indicated by the dottedlines into substantially the position illustrated by the full lines andthereby automatically operate the device in the same manner as lastabove described.

By the means thus described, when the several parts of the device areset in the manner illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 1, a train cango in either direction on the main track, and a train going in thedirection indicated by the arrow lettered S on the switch-track, cansafely pass therefrom to the main track; and when the several parts arein position with the switch-rail D, free from contact with rail 0 andswitch rail D in close contact with rail B, with the frog X in positionso that the rail L thereof is in the position indicated by the dottedlines in Fig. 1, a train may pass in safety in either direction from themain track to the switch or from the switch to the main track, while atrain on the main track going in the direction indicated by arrow S,will autoniatically throw the several parts, (the frog X and switchpoints D, D,) so that such train will safely pass the switch and frog,by means of rail P and connecting mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

Inan automatic frog and switch, the combination of a rotatable baseplate, a rail mounted thereon, a rotatable rod extending along the trackat one side thereof, crank arms and cams on the rod, horizontallymovable rails near the rails of the track, and connecting rods extendingfrom the cams to the rotatable base plate, and from the crank arms tothe horizontally movable rails and the points of the switch rails, witha slot in the connecting rod extending from the switch lever to thecrank arm on the rotatable rod, whereby rotation of the rotatable rodmay occur without producing corresponding movement of the switch lever;substantially as described.

DANIEL GRUI-ILKEY.

Witnesses:

FLORA L. BROWN, CHARLES E. HEBRON.

